Plan Your Travel Around What Works for You
Photo by Timo Stern on Unsplash
Do you ever feel like it’s all too much? Every Thursday, I share one action, habit, or project you may want to undertake in order to improve your health, happiness, and sense of well-being.
PROJECT OF THE WEEK
Plan Your Travel Around What Works for You
There are so many benefits to traveling. You have the opportunity to see new places, experience new things, spend quality time with those you care about, and form new friendships.
So why is traveling often so stressful?
A lot of the stress comes from "feeling" out of control, not getting enough rest, and ironically not having the comfort of your daily routines.
Now you may be thinking, "The whole reason I want to get away, is to ditch my responsibilities and just relax."
While that may be true, ditching your daily routine also means you need to make a lot more decisions about what to do next and how to make the most of your time off. Let's face it; we don't get a lot of time off, so that can be a LOT of pressure.
Planning ahead will make your travels that much easier - and stress-free!
Getting Started
Think critically about what time of day it makes the most sense to travel.
If you are flying, you are much less likely to experience a delay if you take the first flight out. However, if you are NOT a morning person, and waking up early really throws you off, don't choose the first flight out.
If you live in a city where traffic is a factor, make sure to account for that. As a morning person, when living in NYC, I could save at least an hour from my trip by leaving before 7:00 AM. If you are a night person, it may make sense to travel in the late evenings.
While overnight flights are time efficient, account for how they make you feel. Saving a few hours by flying when you are supposed to be sleeping is probably not worth it, if it takes you or your kids 5 days to recover.
If you are traveling with kids, consider their schedule and how long it will take them to adjust. There is nothing more stressful on vacation than your kids not behaving well. Keeping kids on a schedule supports them in being better able to manage their emotions, which always leads to happier parents.
Make the logistics work for you.
Think about what features are most important to you when choosing a place to stay.
Location - Do you want to be right on the beach or in the center of the city?
Amenities - Do you love a hot tub as much as I do?
Is the focus of your trip to catch up with friends and family? Would renting a house with living space and a full kitchen create the atmosphere you want?
Transportation - Do you want your lodging to be walkable, or to be on public transportation? Are Ubers widely available, or are you planning on renting a car?
While hotels have specific times for check-in and check-out, you can use the amenities all day. This is a great way to get more value out of your stay. Keep this in mind for your next beach vacation, spa trip, or family weekend at the indoor water park. Hotels will always store your bags and often they have changing rooms and showers you can use.
If you are flying into an airport and your destination is over 30 miles away, consider staying at an airport hotel. Make sure the airport hotel has a shuttle; call the hotel to see how often the shuttle runs and to make sure that communication is simple and seamless. The hotel shuttle can pick you up at the airport and drop you off at your rental car the next morning. This is especially helpful when multiple people are flying in from separate locations. This has so many benefits. It will save you money, it will reduce your stress if your flight gets delayed and it supports a smoother transition with more sleep.
Decide ahead of time what activities you want to do and where you want to dine.
Decision-making takes a lot of brain power and often leads to stress. Decide ahead of time how "scheduled" you want your trip to be and then make your plans accordingly.
Ask family and friends for their recommendations.
Ask the hotel both what restaurants they recommend and where they like to eat. Pro tip: It's often not the same list!
If you are planning on cooking, find out your grocery store options and make a grocery list ahead of time.
If you are taking a beach vacation, maybe you want to have your days unscheduled. You plan to eat breakfast at the hotel, lunch on the beach, and simply relax. But, you do want to schedule a massage for one day (maybe when the weather looks less than ideal?) and dinner out each night. Schedule the massage and make dinner reservations before you arrive.
If you are traveling to a new city, do some research and decide on one activity to anchor each day. This will guide your day and lead to less overwhelm by the vast amount of options.
Most cities have a Hop-On Hop-Off Bus tour. This can be a great activity for the first day. You get a tour of the city and it will help you decide what you want to do most.
Consider keeping your routine on vacation.
Vacations are all about quality time with friends and family and taking the time to relax and have fun.
While the idea of throwing your schedule out the window for a week may sound great, it likely won't lead to the happiness you expect.
It's not all or nothing. Think about what parts of your routine impact your well-being. If meditating each morning jump starts a great day, is it really best to skip your meditation while you are away? If you wake up each morning at the same time no matter what, is staying up late going to help you relax? If your kids are great about going to bed at 7:00 PM each night at home, would you be happier sticking to that bedtime and enjoying your evenings after the kids are asleep?
Happy Spaces Tips & Tricks
Keep a shared document with the friends and family you’re traveling with. In this document, add restaurant ideas, places you want to visit, and activities you want to do.
When looking at flights, does it make more sense to travel on an off day, if your schedule allows it? This may help you save money and provide more flight options.
Plan and budget ahead for spending money, activities, and unexpected costs while you’re on vacation - yes, you DO need those sequined Mikey Mouse ears.
If you have any travel tips you use and love, please let us know!
Feeling Overwhelmed?
We understand how challenging and scary it can be to start something new. If you feel excited about implementing this strategy, but worry that it’s just too much to start on your own, the It’s All in the Planning Started Pak was designed for you!
A Note from Happy Spaces
The goal is to add value to your life. If you think this project will add value:
Estimate how long you think it will take. I would recommend doubling the time you estimate.
Look at your calendar over the next week and pick a date and time to get started.
Make an appointment on your calendar for the estimated time.
If you estimate that completing this project will take longer than one hour, I recommend doing it over multiple days. This will support you in getting started!
Prior to starting this project, take a few minutes to make a step-by-step list of EVERY action you need to take to complete this project.
It's not all or nothing. You can choose to implement only the parts of this project that add value to your life.
An Accountability Partner can be a great support in following through on your goals and commitments.
We understand how challenging it can be to implement new habits and systems. For additional support please go to HappySpacesBySarah.com.
Creating a life you don't need a vacation from! ®
Sincerely,
Sarah Weingarten
Meet Sarah
Growing up as the oldest of nine siblings in Upstate New York, I learned to use organization to create sanity among the chaos. Today, I work together with individuals, families, and small businesses to create habits, systems, and spaces that support their needs, goals, and dreams. Clients often refer to our work together as "life-changing" and "better than decades of therapy". What I love most about my work is the lasting impact it has on real people's lives. Nothing makes me happier than hearing the many success stories of clients I have worked with.